Walk With Me Again
by Desertsnow
Summary: It was a story that goes way back. Auron and Lulu did not forsee what was instored for them in the future when they first met ten years ago.
1. Chapter 1 First

With her chin rested casually on her palm, Lulu took another look at the city she had spent almost a year living in to pursue further studies in black magic.

She snorted towards the city as her own way of saying goodbye as she waited for the ship to set off in another couple of minutes. She surveyed around, counting the number of passengers and concluded it came close to probably only ten with most of them being old folks who craved for more peace and quiet.

She pushed herself off the railing she was leaning against, ready to go into the cabin for some rest as the announcement and alarm went off.

A faint scent of flower floated in the air, it stood out among the salted smell of the sea that Lulu was all so familiar with. Curious, she looked and tried to trace the source of the flowery scent. It was then she spotted a young girl, probably not more than 7 years old, her small arms wrapped around a bouquet of bright yellow sunflowers that seemed out of place for Bevelle.

Lulu observed quietly. The little girl walked towards a trio, handing over the flowers to one of them, whom she thought looked familiar. The ship was huge and barely filled up with people, footsteps were the only sound on the dock, and the voice of that girl.

"I'd take good care of myself, father." Her voice was faint, but the dock was quiet enough for Lulu to catch what she was saying through the sea breeze. The young brown-haired girl rubbed her eyes with her sleeves, trying to hide her tears, as if she was worried that it would jinxed her kin's trip.

The man, formally dressed in a huge robe, knelt and held her, his hand patting her back, reassuring his daughter. Lulu strained her eyes a little, trying not to alert the trio, for it was rude to be staring at people. She realized that man was a Summoner.

_That was why_. She tried to distract her own attention away from the father and daughter, and focused on the two guardians standing behind the Lulu could not quite made out the face of the warrior in red since his back was facing towards her direction, and another man who was topless and tanned, bearing a weird symbol tattoo on his chest, she wondered how painful it was to ink such a huge tattoo on himself.

The waiting guardians held her attention, especially when she saw how the tanned guardian tugged onto the tip of the red robe of the swordsman, who then irritably slapped his hand off and glared at him. She stood and continued to observe, the interactions between the two guardians, so very much amusing to her.

She always thought the guardians would hardly showed any emotions, always so focused on protecting their Summoner. Yet this pair seemed so different from what she initially thought, she moved herself to another location, where she could still looked at them and hopefully to not get discovered by them.

She giggled a bit to herself, when she saw how the older man seemed to be drunk and was trying to drag the red robe off of his fellow guardian. She swore she could almost spot a vein threatening to break apart in the annoyed swordsman's forehead.

Lulu's thoughts was then interrupted by the final honking of the alarm, informing them that they must part, with whoever and whatever that would still continue to remain in Bevelle. She turned her attention back to the father and daughter, and she saw that the young girl was paying her last respect to her father.

The Summoner smiled, proud of his daughter, and patted her on her head.

"Thank you, Yuna."

~ * ~

Lulu continued to lock her sight on the fading view of the harbor of Bevelle, unable to take her mind off the young girl who had chased after her father hoping to see as much of him as possible before he went on a journey of no return.

She didn't notice how long she had been standing there, but by the time she returned to her current state; the sky was already dark and filled with stars. The temperature had fallen, and the cold sea wind began to raise goosebumps on her pale pearly white skin.

She pulled out a couple of her hairsticks and let her long black wavy hair landed gracefully onto her shoulders, brushing a handful of it to her neck, hoping to keep herself warm enough as she had the intention to stay out here to watch the stars.

However her privacy did not last long as she heard a loud bang on one of the wooden walls of the cabin and followed by an angry scowl.

"Jecht! Stop making a scene! You are being a disgrace to Lord Braska!"

Lulu noticed the two men she had saw earlier stumbled out of the cabin with one of them who was named Jecht obviously drunk and feeling too high for his own good.

"Argh! Don't be such a spoiler, Auron! You need to relax and enjoy!"

She walked near a corner where it had allowed her a full view of the two men pulling and struggling with each other, as she matched the names and faces and had them memorized.

Jecht pulled a blitzball out of a sack and threw it towards a very annoyed Auron who swung his huge and long sword and slashed the ball into two.

"Hey that's not the way to play the game man!"

Auron swung his huge sword back to his shoulder and growled irritably at the man, "Haven't you made enough of a fool of yourself back in Bevelle? Now get to bed before you topple off and drop into the ocean!"

He dragged Jecht and pushed him right into the cabin as he caught sight of Lulu standing in the shadow looking amused at them. He smiled awkwardly at her as he gave another kick to Jecht who tried to pull him down the stairs that lead to the inside.

Lulu lifted her hands to her face as she tried to control her laughter, she swore she had never seen such a lively and interesting bunch of guardians, though obviously Auron was not really the lively type in the first place from what she observed.

"Young lady, I apologize for the scene made just now. But I'll suggest that you get inside the cabin. The weather is cold."

She smiled towards the young and handsome swordsman, though at the young age of twelve, she held herself confidently and firmly against the older fighter, "Thank you for your concern, I'll like to watch the stars tonight."

"I see." He said as he pulled his red robe from himself and handed over to Lulu.

"Here, this should help to prevent you from catching a cold."

"You are quite a gentlemen, considering we don't know each other."

He smiled, "Take it as a compensation for disrupting your peace."

She accepted the offer graciously and watched Auron marched back into the cabin. A flip of the fabric and she had it wrapped around her bare shoulders, her thoughts drifted away as the wind spread scent of the faint musky smell of his robe into the air around her.


	2. Chapter 2 Youth

Besaid had never changed since the day she left, it would probably be the only place in Spira that would forever remained the same. Lulu had often wondered if it was a good thing or a bad one, since it had allowed them to remember far too many happy and sad memories.

After she almost got squashed to death from the bear hugs of both Wakka and Chappu for welcoming her back to the island, she chased the boys off gently and proceeded back to her hut with the reason of being tired from the long trip.

She stood in front of her long mirror that she had not seen in a year, a present from her parents many years ago, which was meant to be part of the dowry if she ever get engaged.

/Red eyes, pale skin/.

The adults had always wondered about her abnormal complexion and eye color, being born and raised in a tropical island like Besaid, one was unlikely to be that pale with all the exposure in the sun every single day.

Lulu had inherited almost all of her mother's look and was nothing like her father, who was tall and tanned like any Besaid natives. She remembered when she was very young, she had once ran home crying to her mother after being teased and insulted by the other kids in the village because of her unique appearance.

Her mother would then pat her gently on her head as she began to sing songs that she had never heard any other natives sing before. She was told that those were ancient songs passed down verbally among their tribe which was erased and forgotten from the long history of Spira.

/Lulu, you are born of a special and unique bloodline. But people tend to forget that we are no different from them other than our natural born pale skin and red eyes. Be proud of who you are/.

Lulu began to pick up the art of black magic when a black mage visited the island some years ago after the death of her parents, and with her natural born talent due to her unique lineage, she was recommended to join the school in Bevelle. She had agreed almost immediately with some intention of getting away from the island and to see the world out there.

The teasing and insults were never better in Bevelle though.

The kids who had studied with her made fun of her looks. Lulu had learnt in the years that the best way to deal with idiots, was to keep quiet and be patient, till they ran out of interest in her.

She buried herself in the study and had successfully completed the course earlier than any students in the school, and was allowed to go home after a year of study.

She had tried to hide her complexion before by wearing colorful clothing in hope that it would distract people, however as time went by, she found herself snorting at the way the colorful clothing looked on her. It was the day before she left the school; she went out and bought herself a gift.

A black dress that complimented her complexion and red garnet eyes.

She turned around and observed the dress on her, feeling pleased with her accomplishments in black magic and finally accepting who she was all the time. She smiled into the mirror reflection of her face that was maturing into her mother's day by day.

~ * ~

Being an obscure island, Besaid did not get a lot of ships coming in to bring merchants and traders.

Braska and his guardians found themselves stuck in this place after they found that the next ship to come would probably take a few days.

"Maybe we could all swim over if you're so anxious about leaving, Mr. Grouchy Warrior Monk." Jecht said as he scratched his head and massaged his neck.

Auron snorted, "How about maybe we tie a raft on you, and YOU swim us over?"

"That sounds retarded."

"You were stupid enough to even suggest swimming across the ocean."

"Does that means you can't swim? Hur hur?" Jecht laughed.

"That's none of your business." Auron frowned and looked towards Braska for instructions.

Braska smiled patiently at his squabbling guardians, "Well, I guess we can afford to take a few days' break before proceeding, I heard from the villagers that there will be a grand celebration or some sort tonight for a tradition. And besides... I can't swim." He smiled towards Jecht as he said that.

Auron sighed, "As you wish, my lord."

"Oh yeah! Celebration means party! I love parties!" Jecht yelled happily as he jumped off the pier.

Auron seated himself on the pier as he watched Jecht intruded a blitzball game by the local kids and went on to show off his skills in front of them.

"Auron, I'm going to take a walk."

He looked up at his summoner and quickly stood himself up, with his sword held firmly, "Let me go with you, my lord."

Braska lifted his palm in front of the young swordsman with a smile, "It's alright, I would like some time alone today. I won't stray into the jungle where the fiends are, don't worry."

He nodded as Braska turned away and walked towards the village. Decided that maybe he should take a walk as well to avoid the possible deliberate blitzball assault from Jecht, he grabbed onto his sword and marched towards the other end of the beach.

He wandered endlessly and with no direction, thoughts running through the plans that was made for the next few days, he soon found himself strolling in the forest and had approached a lake near a cliff.

The water was still and glittered brightly with the sunlight reflected on its surface. Feeling warm, Auron removed his heavy leather breastplate and seated himself beside the lake, scooping some water for a wash. He felt his muscles relaxed, as if he was melting into the sunlight and serenity of the forest.

It was then he noticed ripples began to form on the surface of the water, bubbles emerging from within, he snapped out and kept his guard up and reached for his sword that he had settled near a tree. His eyes fixed on the ripples; hands tightened round his sword, all ready to strike the possible fiend emerging from within the lake.

The water surface broke with a loud splash, A wave of black streaks of hair swung to the back, exposing the familiar pair of red eyes that Auron had seen back on the ship from Bevelle.

The girl was fully dressed in black as she brushed her long hair away from her porcelain face while floating on the water. She took in a huge mouthful of breath as she swam to stood herself on a tall rock from the water that allowed her to sit on it with half her torso out of the water.

Auron relaxed as he recognized the youth. The young girl adjusted her breathing, while her eyes scouted the surroundings. And their eyes met.

"Hey." She greeted him as she gathered her thick mass of hair together and squeezed out the water. A smile on her childlike face which showed signs of maturing.

"There might be fiends out here, even in the water. Isn't it dangerous for a young girl like you to be out here alone?"

"I have swam in this water long enough to know where the fiends normally hide, so this particular section was safe for any kids to come here to get away from the heat." She smiled at him as she began to braid her hair.

"I see." He said as he scooped another handful of water and splashed onto his face.

"Lord Braska had already acquired the Aeon, am I correct? Shouldn't you be leaving for the mainland now?" She asked curiously, looking at him washing his face and splashing water onto his chest to cool off from the warm climate of Besaid.

"There wasn't any ships around to take us there, unfortunately. So Lord Braska had decided to stay for a few days till the next ship comes. Since we can't possibly swim across the ocean."

She chuckled, "Do you want to come down and swim? It's really cooling here. I can even show you around, there are places here where you just can't get to just by walking, you know?"

Auron thought for a while, scratching his temple with his finger, he decided perhaps it was not very wise to do so when he wasn't an excellent swimmer to begin with. He declined her offer gently and she shrugged.

"Oh look at the time, I have got to get back to get ready now." She jumped off the rock and swam towards the shore where Auron was sitting.

"Are you joining us for tonight?"

"Lord Braska had expressed his interest, so I guess we will be joining in tonight for the celebration of building of Besaid." Auron nodded as his sight followed her childlike form climbing out of the water.

"Good, I will see you all tonight then."

A stroke of curiosity, Auron stopped the girl. "May I know your name?"

She looked back at the man and smiled, "My name is Lulu."

/Lulu/.

She had behaved so differently when he first talked to her on the ship, trying hard to be all-mature and self-collected, possibly a shell that protects her from strangers. And now he was seeing the smile that was supposed to be on every young child's faces at her age. He would guess it was due to the familiarity of the environment she was in now.

He watched as Lulu ran towards the exit of the forest leading to the beach, the sunlight illuminating around her. He found his determination to defeat Sin strengthened.

/A smile like that should never be lost/


	3. Chapter 3 Gift

The celebration held was so different comparing to the ones back in Bevelle. There weren't many decorations along the small village, just a huge campfire while the people dressed in colorful tribal wear and food placed on trays with huge leaves under it.

So much simpler yet so much more lively and happy.

Auron was somehow glad that his lord had made another brilliant decision this time by choosing to stay around for a couple of days before continuing the journey. The smile on Braska was genuine and pure as he laughed with the villagers while they talked and served him food. Jecht had joined in the circle of dance around the campfire together with the young boys and girls while the adults were playing the musical instruments made of simple string and drums.

As a vigilant guardian, Auron managed to stay awake for the rest of the night and went on his usual patrol around the area after lugging a very drunken Jecht back to the hut together with Braska. Strolling on an island that didn't have high buildings covering most of the sky was something new to him, he had spent most of his time in the temple and peering out of the windows from his room to look at stars and moon when he was very young.

Though the cheers and songs of the celebration was still ringing inside his head, he started to find serenity as the cool night breeze ruffled through his long fringe and played with his red robe. He stood on the cliff from the entrance of the village and scanned around the area for any possible straying fiends that loved the night.

Hours passed, the surrounding was peaceful with only the sound of crickets having little concerts. Auron held his sword close as he sat down on a huge rock with a wooden pillar behind it that enabled him to get more comfortable. He began to think back to the life he used to have in the temples of Bevelle and the consequences of his rejection on wedding the priest's daughter. He remembered seeing the beautiful young woman a few times when she visited her father at the temple, all refined and soft-spoken was his impression of her. A few times he found her looking towards him, trying her best to get to know him, sometimes he did wondered if the marriage proposal was suggested by her father or the woman herself. But he had chose to turn her down and walked away.

He thought back on the things that Jecht had described to him about his family back in Zanarkand, his beautiful and dependent wife and his little crybaby. He had seen the way Braska smiled and spoke to his daughter, a scene that made Auron wondered if it had ever happened in his life. He could not remembered his parents nor could he recalled where he came from, he had been living as a Warrior monk for as long as he could remember. Maybe the uncertainty in being able to have a family was one of the reasons he had turned down the priest's daughter.

_Family and love_

Those words seemed so alien to him. His thought soared further and deeper, as he was reminded again that he would die on this pilgrimage. And when he was gone, there would be no one to remember him or perhaps even drop a tear for him. He shook his head trying to chase the thought off his mind.

It's pointless.

Being distracted in his deep thoughts had made him ignorant of another presence behind him. The sound of fabric sweeping across the ground had alerted him and broke his train of thought, he quickly grabbed tight onto his sword and turned around to identify the being.

That familiar smile and eyes.

If there was fate, Auron wondered if it was trying to tell him something for this third encounter with the same girl.

"What are you doing out here so late?"

She chuckled, "You must be distracted, it is almost morning now."

He looked up to the sky and the far horizon that could be seen from the tall ground he was at, and realized the night had passed by while he was lost in his own thoughts and memories. He rubbed his neck and lectured himself silently for not being vigilant enough when he was on watch as he turned to face the girl with an awkward smile.

"I guess I am."

Lulu had learnt to observe people from the days she had spent in the school of Bevelle, and she was using that skill on the guardian now, curious on what could have possibly distracted him from his duty. She studied his eyes and the little hints from his facial expressions, she found herself feeling a slight affinity for him.

Loneliness.

No matter how strong she had tried to be, she could not denied that she would still feel lonely at certain moments, especially when past memories decided to visit her on times when she had nothing to distract her mind from venturing into her locked memories again. She walked nearer to the swordsman and held onto his hand, lifting it up as she pulled out one of her hair accessories and placed it onto his palm.

_Three meetings arranged by fate or pure coincidence? I don't know, but maybe... _

"I made this myself, I hope you will accept it."

Auron understood what it meant to accept this accessory. Her unique skin tone and color of eyes had gave away her possible heritage, the lost tribe that used to make magical protective charms but was lost in the long history of Spira. It was said that the charms made by them consisted of hidden power that helped to bring calm and smooth sorrows. Seeing the understanding smile on the girl so young and yet mature beyond her age, he wondered if that pair of piercing eyes had found something from him that made her acted this way towards him. He bent down and expressed his gratitude, for the gift and the one moment of comfort from her.

Lulu walked closer to him and held onto his face with both her hands before he could lift his face up. She said a little prayer and kissed his forehead, "May victory be with you always, may loneliness be away from you forever."


	4. Chapter 4 Rejection

"What is that?"

"What is what?" Auron looked indifferently at the blitzballer who had been tugging onto his shoulder armor and almost pulling his red robe off of him, feeling slightly annoyed.

Jecht flipped his robe and got hold of the dangling accessory attached to the armor that he swore he had never seen before they went to Besaid. He pulled it up roughly along with the red robe and almost shoved it into his face.

"This little dangling beady thing here, " Jecht grinned mischievously.

"It was a gift," Auron turned away, determined to ignore him before he got his irritating naughty gears on to frustrate him again.

"Oh! A gift! From a woman? Aww geez Auron, I didn't know you had it in you!" he was laughing so loud, enjoying the tease on the swordsman so much that he almost rolled off a slippery edge of the mountain. Auron started contemplating if he should punish him by forging an accident to roll him off a cliff or something.

But he decided otherwise, despite Jecht being irritating, he was a good fighter and had been a great assistance to Braska. He shrugged and got his hands off his robe as he pulled it closer to himself to keep warm on the cold climate of Mt. Gagazet.

"That is none of your business."

Jecht laughed and placed his arm onto the young swordsman's shoulder again, leaning in close and spoke in his rare serious tone, "Try your best to stay alive, Auron. For whoever has given you that."

Stay alive.

The day he decided to become Braska's guardian, he knew it would be a journey of no return, yet there were times when he couldn't help but thought that perhaps one of them might make it back in one piece. He remembered that night back at Besaid before Braska turned in, he sounded as if he was speaking unconsciously.

_If Yuna could live here, won't it be wonderful?_

Auron knew very well that that was an impossible dream. Braska would never made it back alive, unless he quit the pilgrimage. He had long given his life to his summoner, ready to die at anytime and any place, for the sake of Spira and his Summoner. But Braska's words had somehow shook his determination a little.

Yuna would be alone in this world when they were all gone.

He knew very well he was being naive, but at that very moment he wished he could have assured Braska that he would make it back to take Yuna to Besaid. He had signaled him to go away before he could tell him, and Auron spent most of his nights outside thinking.

He wanted to stay alive even after the end of the pilgrimage, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was as impossible as hoping Braska would survive the Final Summoning. No guardians had made it back alive.

The squeeze on his shoulder by Jecht pulled him back from his thoughts, he sighed and patted the hand, "Keep that to yourself, for your wife and kid."

Jecht chuckled and shook his head as he walked past Auron dragging his huge bulky sword on the snow ground forming a trail.

Auron looked back at the route they walked, and realized the falling snow had covered up all their tracks. Their footprints and trails left by the dragging of the swords had disappeared slowly, just like their existence in this world, Every steps they walked, every moment they got closer to Zanarkand, their lives faded bit by bit.

The Summoners and guardians who had walked the same road had left nothing behind but short period of calm and broken memories.

He felt his footsteps getting heavier with every passing hours and days, his heart almost as heavy as his boots that had gained a couple of weight from the wet snow. Millions of thoughts began to start nagging in his head with every steps closer to Zanarkand.

_Is there no other way?_

~ * ~

Truth was always cruel.

For the first time, Jecht's expression had went completely blank. Auron could only imagined what was going through his mind when he saw him stood up on a high ground watching the city that was dead for a thousand years.

He knew Jecht had somehow realized that he would never be able to go back to his Zanarkand, it showed on his face during the nights when he thought nobody was looking. Auron didn't know what to say, he was never good when it comes to comforting people.

Just like that night when she was there, waiting for him near the entrance of the Bevelle temple. She was looking down at the well-polished marble floor that showed her beautiful reflection clearly, her fingers rubbing each other uneasily. She lifted her attention away from the floor slowly when she heard his footsteps echoing in the hollow hall.

"Auron," her voice was soft and light, yet it seemed to carry the weight of overshadowing the echoes of his footsteps. Auron couldn't tell exactly what kind of expression she was wearing; she had turned her back against the moon to face him, and perhaps the shadow over her face was helpful to her and she knew it.

"You asked for me?"

"You knew very well why I did."

Of course.

"I am sorry," he bent over slightly as he apologized, refusing to look her in the eyes.

"Why did you turn it down?"

He was expecting the question to come from the priest himself, but he certainly wasn't expecting she would be here to ask this question. He had thought of his answer to the priest but now he wasn't sure if that was what she wanted to hear. He went silent as his mind searched for the best words and best combinations to place everything together.

"Why?"

Auron stayed silent.

Her voice started to crack, "why wouldn't you give us... give me a chance?"

He felt as if his head was hit by something hard when he absorbed every single words she had said, he looked at her, trying to make out her expression right now.

It was supposed to be a politically arranged marriage, love didn't exist and they never did in this type of relationship. They had promised him a leap in his career if he accepted it, but he never did. Kinoc had questioned his decision, and he told him he didn't want to take that easy route.

But he didn't tell him he suspected that maybe she was the one who had brought up the issue to her father. He knew how she looked at him, and he had tried to run away.

She was a normal girl who deserved a man who would love her and cherished her, not someone like himself who wasn't confident in being a good husband and even a father. Especially when you don't even remember what was a family anymore.

"I'm sorry."

And those were the only words he could come out with.

The moonlight shone gently down on her slender form, casting a long shadow in front of her that barely reached his feet. Just like the distance between them.

"You deserves someone better, someone who would cherish you, loves you and give you all of what he has. But I am not that man."

That was the truth, and truth always hurts. He didn't want to hurt her, he had tried to make it easier for her by not seeing her, directly rejecting her. Yet she had came to him this night and forced him into a corner, even though she really didn't do anything but just stood under the moonlight, looking at him. He remembered her backing away slowly as he looked at her retreating shadow. The distance between them was something he could never fill, the marriage would only ruin her.

She turned and walked down the long stairs of the temple quietly with only the sound of her heels filling in the poignant silence.


	5. Chapter 5 Beginning of an End

Lulu would normally joined in any celebrations held in the village, but tonight she decided to make an exception. She had left the village and its joyous mood behind her and proceeded to one of her favorite spots on Besaid; the beach.

She would remember the nights when her mother would take her on strolls along the long beach, telling her stories of their long forgotten ancestors. She had learned to love the dark night, cherishing the only source of brightness bestowed upon the land by the moon, and respecting the land of Spira enough for her own existence. She was a descendant from the tribe that blended in well with the night sky of Spira, just like how the residents of sunny Besaid blended in so perfectly with the sun.

Lulu had prayed on this beach, sending her wishes into the night wind with soft humming of songs, and hoping the great mother of the land would hear her. She seldom sang in front of the people, as her mother had taught her, she would sing only to smooth the pains of the beings who couldn't let go of life. Lulu could imagine perhaps long before Sin existed, her ancestors had sent the deceased in songs rather than performing the Sending like what most Summoners did now. As she looked up into the night sky, a star fell through the sky, just like Lord Braska.

Lord Braska. The new High Summoner who had brought the Calm upon defeating Sin with the Final Aeon. The man who had left his young daughter behind in Bevelle to mourn for his death.

Yuna.

Lulu remembered the name well. The voice of her calling out to her father with all her strength, her struggles to stand up tall and proud when she fell to ensure her father went without worries; Lulu remembered every single seconds of it.

Bevelle would be holding a huge celebration on the new Calm, among the crowded city filled with people with smiles for the temporary happiness; there was a young girl who would mourn for the death of a great man and a loving father, alone.

Lulu recalled the structures of the great city, imagining where she might be now. Would she be standing out there at the dock recalling the last goodbyes she had made to her father? Or maybe she would be hiding herself away by climbing out of her house window tonight, seated on the edge of the rooftop, with her head buried in her knees as the sadness finally came to her and made her dropped a tear.

Lulu closed her eyes and lowered herself as she kneed onto the soft sand.

_Yuna, you will not mourn and cry alone tonight. Wherever you are, I'd sing for you and your father... and..._

It was then it hit her, thinking back on the rumors that she had heard of Lord Braska's guardians. It was said that Sir Jecht had sacrificed himself to defeat Sin, and Sir Auron had managed to survive the pilgrimage but had went missing.

Survivor of the pilgrimage, the witness to the death of his friends. Lulu could understand why he might had decided to vanish from the main scene and perhaps, became a hermit.

She lowered her head as she began to feel her surroundings, merging herself with the gentle waves of the sea and the soft cool breeze that had seemed to come to carry the notes of her singing, with the thin hope that it might travel far enough to Bevelle, the Farplane; or where Sir Auron currently was.

"Lulu."

She knew that voice, she knew he had been there for a long while, and she was glad that he did not interrupted her singings. She got up slowly, sweeping off some of the sand that had caught onto her dress, and greeted him.

"Yes? Chappu."

Chappu was there, not that far away from her. She smiled at the thoughtfulness of him. He always knew the distance that she was comfortable with, and he always gave it to her.

They were far away from the village, with no fire around to provide lighting for them. But Lulu could see his face clearly in the moonlight. He had on this faint smile on his face that told her that he might be feeling the same way as she was. He placed his hand behind his neck and rubbed slowly on it, a habit he probably picked up from Wakka.

"I saw you walked out alone."

Lulu looked at Chappu for a short while as she turned her gaze towards the horizon of the sea before them.

"What's there to celebrate?"

The fall of Sin meant the fall of a summoner. The lives that had been sacrificed to put Sin away. But Sin always comes back. It was just a matter of how long it would take for it to make its comeback again. She did not see the point of celebrating the death of another great man.

As Lulu tore her gaze away from the horizon to look back at Chappu again, she felt a part of her accessories dropped off when she heard a very soft and light thud on the sand. She lowered herself to pick up the pieces as she realized the beads on one of the string were all loosen and shattered.

Chappu approached her quickly to help her pick up as much beads that might have dropped off as possible. He took a couple of huge steps and was by her side soon enough, it was then he realized she was still looking at the broken string of beads she held in her right palm.

"Lulu...?"

Pulled back to the current situation by Chappu's voice, she began to recall all that she could remembered about the magical accessories made by her ancestors. The string of beads she was holding onto now was originally a string of twins, but she had gave a part of it away to Sir Auron.

"Lulu, what is it?"

Lulu then looked into Chappu's eyes, she hesitated but she decided there was nothing to hide.

"Bad omen."

~ * ~

So this is death.

He felt a part of him died when he saw Braska walked out of Yunalesca's chamber alone, and another that broke apart when Braska summoned the Final Aeon.

Jecht, who had became the Final Aeon came with such power that left him speechless. Auron could not recalled what had exactly happened anymore, for there was one and only scene that kept replaying itself in his head whenever he remembered the first second of the arrival of the new Calm.

Jecht had vanished with Sin, sending countless pyreflies spiraling up into the sky. He watched as his lord's body began to tore apart, to pay the price of summoning the Final Aeon to end Sin's legacy, for now. He remembered all the battles fought on the way to Zanarkand and back, he had blood on his hands and body, but he had never feared.

Yet the sight before him sent a shock through him more than he could ever imagined. And suddenly with the outburst of the flesh, muscles and blood from Braska's legs, he began to fall backwards. Auron rushed up towards him with his arms stretched out to support him.

But he had grabbed nothing.

Braska fell through his outstretched arms right before his very eyes.

He was right there, in front of him, and yet... he had slipped through from his hands. He remembered he was making unintelligent noise as his fingers scrapped through the broken body of his friend, trying his best to savor any part of him possible; maybe if he could gather all the broken pieces and put them together, he would not be dead.

But no matter how much he tried, he could not stopped the pyreflies from exiting the broken body and spiraled up to the sky with the rest of what was left of Sin.

Sensibility flew out of his head together with the pyreflies of his friend, as he made his last trip to Yunalesca. It was painful. But he couldn't know if the physical damage on him hurts more or the despair of the loss of his friends did the final killing.

His right eye was lost, forever. And perhaps his life as well. The last sight he recalled, was the giant paw of a young Ronso who called himself Kimahri hovering before his one good eye; and a final prayer of wishing him to rest in peace.

He should have been dead.

But then the promise came back to him. He had entrusted Yuna to Kimahri, but there was still Jecht's son. Jecht had trusted him to find his way to Zanarkand to take care of his boy. The pull of the Farplane was so strong, Auron was tired and he almost let himself floated off.

He knew he was dead.

The senses returned once again. He could feel the pain on his body once more. He struggled his eye to open and tried to turn his head around. Kimahri was no longer around, but his sword and clothes were still there. He thought perhaps the young Ronso did not left for too long.

Fighting off the pull of the Farplane was more difficult than he thought. He knew that a strong mind would be able to keep himself here, in Spira, even though he was already dead. But he had to be careful, for becoming a fiend was easier than becoming an unsent.

Rage and hatred was so much easier.

He swung his arms and grabbed onto his clothes that was hung near his bed and fell onto the ground with it. His fingers crawled through the thick fabric, an effort of trying to find something to cling onto this world without the aid of rage.

The feel of the fabric and the ground was not as solid as he had remembered, frustration came over as he continued to struggle. It was then his fingers came across his shoulder armor and touched the amulet that was attached to it.

Strangely the feel of the beads were actually more real than anything else he had came in contact to. He grabbed it tightly into his hands and closed his eye, a smoothing feeling came and he found himself starting to calm down.

_Perhaps the magic of the ancient tribe was still here..._

Auron did not know how much time had passed. By the time he was able to open his one good eye fully to see the dawn breaking through the thin curtain of the room, he felt his strength had returned. He pushed himself off the ground slowly, his hand not letting the amulet go.

The pain had subdued, leaving only scars behind. He breathed in heavily, one hand on his chest. Another sharp intake of breath when he realized the familiar feel of heartbeat had left him. He was truly dead. And now he was an unsent.

Jecht and Braska had once wished that Auron would continue to live after the end of the pilgrimage. An instant regret washed over him, he had threw his life away in a fit of anger. He had failed to keep the promise to his friends that he would live through Braska's Calm.

Auron shook his head and began to command his senses and seized back the control of his body again. He stood up and get dressed, grabbing his sword and walked out of the room without waking anyone up. He looked up to the sky, searching for his next destination, the place where Sin had fallen.

Where Jecht would become Sin.

He carried his sword behind him, and started his walk on another path of his life. The unsent could do things that the livings could not.

He had failed to keep the promise of staying alive, but he would not fail another. He would find his way to Jecht's Zanarkand and see the son of his friend.


	6. Chapter 6 Dawn and Night

She came with the moon.

The moonlight on the beach on that night had never been more gentle. It seemed to be acting as a guide to a young water nymph that had descended on this remote island with her protector. Breeze ruffled through the trees near the shore, water droplets from the waves that had crashed onto the dock scattered perfectly around the two silhouettes, forming a symphony that sounded as if Besaid was spreading her arms welcoming them.

The sound of lifting the heavy canvas of her hut snapped Lulu out of her thoughts, as a stream of morning light shone in, reminding her of the time. She looked back at her visitor, some morning dust kicked up by her entrance, forming a misty feel around the young girl.

Lulu smiled, "Morning."

Brimming under the soft light, Yuna walked towards Lulu and gave her a hug. Lulu looked down on her, fingers brushing through her thick brown hair, she bent her arm a bit, suddenly realizing the height between them. She pulled away gently, eyes glancing down Yuna's little figure slowly. She gave a light tug on her skirt which used to end its length at her knee.

"You've grown taller, Yuna."

Five years had passed since her first arrival at the island. Lulu remembered that night very well. The girl who was barely tall enough to hold onto the waist of the Ronso who had escorted her here, now stepping into another phase of her life, approaching her first stage of physical maturing. Time had flew by so fast.

Yuna no longer cried at night for the loss of her father, or needing Kimahri to hold her hands or Lulu to sing to her when she sleeps. Lulu looked at her, thinking how proud Lord Braska would be of his daughter, because of how strong she was.

"Lulu, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

Lulu looked at her in her eyes, jade green and ocean blue, illuminating with a certain determination that seemed to make them glowed brighter than normal. She had seen those eyes before when she requested for her to start studying and learning white magic. She remembered asking her for the reasons, and she told Lulu that because she wanted to learn to heal.

Knowing Yuna, she could not stop her whenever she showed this determination in her eyes and tone of voice. Instinct told Lulu that somehow she was not going to like what she was about to hear from her this time.

"I'm going to train to become a Summoner."

Lulu felt her heart sink.

She should have seen this coming, from the day she decided to take up white magic and temple studies. Deep in her heart she hoped that she would not followed her father's footsteps, for she didn't want to lose Yuna, whom she had acknowledged as her sister now. Yet she knew that nothing would change her mind now. Yuna's stubbornness was something that Lulu found herself having a love-hate relationship with. For she was not one who would be easily swayed.

Silence fell between them. The air seemed to have stood still, chirping of birds sneaked through the small openings of the heavy canvas separating their space from the outside world, echoing throughout Lulu's hut. She kept replaying the words that had came out of the twelve years old in her head. Words said could not be taken back, like how time would still continued to flow ruthlessly waiting for no one, the world would still moved on despite all the losses and tragedies that happened every minute.

Every moment passed, Lulu felt as if she was imagining seeing Braska's face on Yuna. And then she gave in.

"Very well then."

He thought he had tasted and fully understood the feeling of despair when he witnessed Braska's death and the loss of Jecht to Sin.

Then when he came to her door and broking the news to her, the changes of expressions on her face hit him hard. He had witnessed countless mournings, women crying and sobbing over the loss of their loved ones.

But this woman, this tiny woman in front him, her beautiful features twisted when she heard him broke the news of her husband never returning. She breathed in hard, her limbs weakened and collapsed onto Auron. He fell back and they both landed on the floor, her eyes shut tightly, her mouth opened wide, screaming without a voice.

Auron could not looked at her. Her despair was so deep and overwhelming, he felt like she had died along with Jecht at that very moment. He felt so tired. He could not move. Not because she was holding onto him tightly, but at that time he was reminded again that he had lost everything. His friends, his promise, his eye, his life. Gone. All of them.

He tried to focus elsewhere, it was then he saw a boy behind the door.

Tidus stood with both his hands rounded into fists. For a young kid, Auron never knew they were capable of complicated expressions as well. He was unable to make out what he was feeling. Anger? Because of how Auron had thrown the young boy's only support into an endless despair by bringing the worst news she could possibly wanted to know? Or was it sadness that not only had his mother lost her husband, he had lost his father.

Auron was half expecting him to come over and perhaps hug his mother or pushed him away angrily for upsetting her so much. Instead, the young boy chose to turn his back on them and ran away.

He started to blank out upon seeing the boy ran away. His red robe scattered around him while the woman continued to cry on him, diving deeper and deeper into a sadness he could not reached.

Auron didn't know how much time had passed or when she had left. By the time he found himself sitting all alone in front of the opened door to the house of Jecht, his robe still scattered around him, he felt his hand grabbing onto the amulet hanging on his shoulder armor now on the floor.

His fingers moved around and felt the whole of it, tracing down every single shape of the beads that formed it and finally to the tassel that seemed to emit a gentle glow under the starry night sky of Zanarkand.

His conscious about his surrounding became more clear when he heard footsteps approaching him. He looked and saw a stretched shadow in front of him. He traced it back to the boy who had ran away before. Standing in front of the door, back facing the light that came from the house, his face hid in the dark shadows.

"Mom's gone."


	7. Chapter 7 In Dreams

How much more?

It has been one crying after another.

One moment he was sitting in front of Jecht's house, a heartbroken widow crying on him, now he was holding the tiny hand of his friend's weeping son, running around the strange city called Zanarkand searching for the missing woman.

After hours of searching blindly around, they finally found her walking out of a store along a quiet street, carrying a huge bag of groceries.

"Mom!"

Tidus ran up to her immediately, stretching his arms and wrapped them around her waist, almost causing her to fall. She stepped back a couple of steps, trying to balance herself while she looked at her only son sobbing. She knelt down and placed the bag onto the floor, then held onto him, gently patting his back.

Auron watched from a distance, unsure if he should say anything. Her eyes were still red, and even seemed swollen which might be caused by all those crying. He started to feel uneasy. He wondered if he should just leave. After all, he was the one who brought the bad news, causing her breakdown.

For the first time in his life he felt helpless.

She looked up at him and forced a weak smile onto her face, while holding onto Tidus's hand. Auron was lost, he wasn't sure if he should return the smile. He tried walking towards them, seeing that they didn't retreat, he gained enough courage to went over and picked up her bag of groceries from the floor where she left them. She looked down at her son, and nudged him a bit. Tidus bit his lower lip and turned to Auron.

"Mom said you could stay with us if you didn't have anywhere to go now."

Auron's eye widened. "I..."

She continued to smile at him, "those wounds looked nasty, come, at least let me help you with that. And maybe you could tell me more about Jecht." A pleading look in her tired eyes. Auron nodded and thanked her for her offer. He didn't know much would it helped her to tell her of the time Jecht had spent in Spira. But he guessed it might just be the only thing he could do to at least, maybe, helped ease her pain a little.

The young boy however, didn't look all that pleased. Obviously in his mind, Auron was a troublemaker.

Auron could not remembered how much time was spent walking back, he was following the mother and son while his mind was too distracted by memories. He was trying his best to recollect everything so he could tell her everything she wanted to know. A little form of compensation.

It wasn't till she started tending to his wounds that he realized he could still feel physical pain. She dipped clean towel in the basin of water, removed the dirty gauze from his face and started patting the towel gently on his face. Almost forgetting the feel of pain, he jerked a bit as he felt the hot sting traveled through his whole body made up of steel will and collection of pyreflies. Jecht would have laughed at him.

She handed the dirty towel to Tidus while taking the clean one from his hands and continued tending to Auron. He wondered if he should start talking now. As he attempted to open his mouth, she gestured him to stay silent now with a finger up on her lips, curled lightly to form a smile.

He stayed still and silent, watching her as she cleaned, applied medicine and started covering them with fresh new gauze. Every bit of movement felt like a ritual, her fingers strolled along his skin with the thin gauze as she wrapped them onto him, like flipping a book, reading and imagining the adventures of Jecht the _protagonist in her head._

For the many nights to come, the ritual would be held and the story would go on.

Till the day her story ended.

It was over.

That cavern was so hollow and deep. The silence terrified her. She could feel her heart beating fast and hard, a constant reminder from her subconscious telling her she was still alive and breathing.

Yet she could not be sure, as her eyes continued to stare endlessly into that darkness. Not even her fast pace of breathing or her trembling body. Voices seemed to have disappeared from the world, she remembered screaming the name of her Summoner, she heard the echoes all over the cavern as she was carried out in Valefor's protective wings.

Slowly, she began to regain her hearing and senses.

She could hear her own breathing, the sound of wind flowing around her, and the faint echoes of the fiends from the dark cavern.

Her hands felt wet, she smelt the faint scent of iron all over her. Wrapping herself with her own arms, torn and bloodied, she grabbed onto her wounded arms tightly, ignoring the pain she had inflicted further on herself. She tried to remember how to work her vocal chord. Because she needed to scream. If she had screamed, maybe Lady Ginnem would suddenly popped out of the cavern, alive.

Her pace of breathing was disturbed, she forced herself to breathe in more air, trying to wake her sleeping lungs up, she forced a few sound out of herself. As she regained full control, she screamed.

Rain fell. Dying the grass of the Calm Land into ruby red. She felt herself drenched in the rain of blood. The blood of her Summoner.

Her hands up in her face, trying to wipe the blood away, her fingers struggled through her thick veil of fringe with the blood sticking onto them. She let out another scream.

And suddenly it was all silent.

All Lulu could hear now, other than her own irregular breathing, was the cracking of the woods in the fire, and the symphony of the crickets.

She gathered her knees upwards and laid her face into them, as she continued to feel the trembling of her hands. She had never felt so much fear. She finally understood why the elders of the village had kept her away and forbid her to see her parents' remains when they fell victim to Sin's fury.

_I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... Lady Ginnem..._


	8. Chapter 8 Ophelia

She laid in bed, shivering.

Winter seemed to have arrived too soon, she pulled her blanket up as she curled up inside to conserve as much heat as possible. Her eyes remained shut, yet her brain refused to rest.

For many nights since the arrival of the red-cloaked man who identified himself as a friend of her husband, her heart has been in constant turmoil. She believed in the return of her beloved and had continued to wait for him day and night, ignoring all the rumors, hurtful words and mockeries floating around her life. She would often asked her son to sit in front of her as she inspected his face, trying to find traces of her husband on the little boy.

She spent nights listening to the half blinded swordsman telling her the stories of his journey with his Summoner and her husband. She would close her eyes and drink in every words from him, painting a vivid picture of the world and following them on their pilgrimage, feeling every bit of emotions and feelings of the trio. She smiled fondly whenever she heard her name mentioned by her husband from him.

Turning and tossing for hours endlessly, she could not sleep. A tense feeling started invading her limbs, she tried to move and was shocked when she felt an extreme pain in her legs. Her muscle seemed to have been frozen by the cold wind, she struggled to relief the pain. She started panting as the pain traveled up her whole body.

Tears flowed out of her eyes, she struggled to breathe, as her whole body immersed in an unthinkable pain. She grabbed onto her chest as she realized the source of the pain from within. Advice from the doctor came to her suddenly, reminding her of her weak constitute. She had remembered to take her medicine, but had seemed to neglect it for some time since she started staying up every night to hear the stories of her husband battling, laughing and crying in another land so strange to her.

She broke out in cold sweat. She wanted the pain to stop. But her inner screaming seemed to be drowned in the pain her body was putting her through. She stretched out one of her arms helplessly, crying to grab hold of something, or break something to rise the attention of her son.

Her eyes remained shut due to the pain now taking over her. Her mind started juggling memories of hers like turbulence.

Then, she felt someone touched her.

The feel of skin was so real. She trembled as the touch drifted from her spine to her neck. She wanted to open her eyes so much. She wanted to see him. It must be him.

Slowly as she felt the pain leaving her body, a feeling of peace came to her. The touch stopped at her neck, caressing her softly. Her face still wet with tears, she remembered. Those were the last places he had touched her before he disappeared from her life.

Yes. It must be.

He was here.

A strange feeling washed over her. She felt as if she was floating, like sleeping within a bubble. She didn't fight and flowed with it.

As she floated away, feeling her body dissolving into nothingness, she heard a familiar whistle.

Another broken heart.

She was long gone when they found her lifeless body laying on her bed. She seemed like she had passed on peacefully. The smile on her was so serene, Tidus didn't even realized she was no longer breathing.

Auron walked into her room once again and found Tidus laying on the bed, tiny hands grabbing on the blanket. The young boy nudged himself on the bed, attempting to find the remaining warmth of his mother, while his body trembled with grief.

His footsteps was heavy, every piece of wood creaked as he put another step on them as he walked silently towards Tidus.

"Come."

The boy refused to move. Auron felt his strength escaping him every minute as he felt the burden of death on his back getting heavier with every person's life vanished before him. He put his hand on the boy's head and wrapped his other arm around his body and held him up. Tidus fought weakly as he carried him out of the room and went towards the dock outside of the house.

Sunlight shone down on the sea and formed glitters on the water surface, she laid near the stairs that led into the water. Auron knelt down beside her body and put the boy down. Tidus tried to turn and run, but Auron grabbed hold of his arm tightly.

"See her off one last time."

Tidus's brows furrowed, biting his lower lip as he tried to control himself to not cry loudly. He walked towards her slowly, trying to delay every step as much as possible by dragging his shoes and walking small steps. He hugged her, silently bidding his final farewell to her.

Auron paid his respect to her, carried her body up and walked down the steps that led to the sea. Slowly he lowered her body into the water, his arms relaxed and let go bit by bit, allowing the water to keep her afloat for a while before she started sinking in.

When most of her weight disappeared from his arm, he felt her floated away, as though the sea had stepped in to embrace her and relieved her off him. The morning was quiet and the air was still, all he could hear now was the sound of water and the sobbing of Tidus. He felt a weight lifted off of him strangely. She had suffered enough. And Jecht had came to take her to him.

Auron walked up the steps back to Tidus, he tried to carry him again, but his hand was slapped away by the boy. He pushed himself off the wooden ground he was kneeling on but a lack of balance threw him off and almost landed into the sea if Auron hasn't caught him on time. He attempted to drag Auron's hand away from him again, but failed to do so when he realized how tight he was holding on his arm.

He regained his two feet and stood, while refusing Auron's offer to carry him, he decided he could use his strong hand to help maintain his balance while he walked back to the house.

For he was so tired from all the crying.

Auron let Tidus tugged on his hand, as though he was the one leading the way back to the house, he walked a step behind him while his hand was still holding onto his. Watching his small back, he snickered quietly enough to not get the boy's attention.

Their hands tightened, supporting each other as they walked their way home.


End file.
